The Labor Difficulty.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7226, 29 September 1890, Page 2

The Labor Difficulty.

Reply has been sent from Auckland employers to Government that as they ore bound to protect free labour the Employers Union sees no goodin a conference. Similar replies have been sent from other Employers' Unions at Nelson, Christohuroh, Dunedin, Oamaru, and elsewhere. An 800 strong demonstration of Unionists wsb held in Wellington on Saturday in a drizzling rain, finishing up with burning a free labour effigy. A concert given at night in aid of the strike fund was well attended. Boilermakers have withdrawn the boycott from Union Company. At Dunedin on Saturday night the Executive officers of nearly every Trade Union met to confer 83 to the selection of labour candidates. Fully 1,500 persons assembled at Lyttelton last night to sco the labour delegates off to the Wellington Conference.

At a meeting in Sydney yesterday _of strikers and sympathisers, tho action of the employers in not accepting the offer of the labour party to refer the whole matter to a conference was condemned. The result of the telegraphed negotiations betweon the Employers' Unions of different colonies, as made known at Brisbane, is that they have agreed to hold a pan-Australian Conference with labour Unions, on tho basis of freedom of contract, retention of free labour, and non-affiliation of the Marine Officers' Association with labour.

The secretaries of the Sailors' and Firemen's Union in Great Britain have issued warning for branches to be oautious, as the Ship-owners' Union are apparently trying to provoke a conflict with a view of completely crushing the Unions. The circular states that the largest Jabour battle over known will take place within three months, and tho various secretaries are asked to take immediate steps bo as to be prepared to meet it It also admits the financial weaknoss of the Dockers' Union owing to the recent strikes.